Lincoln City must maintain key 2024/25 strength - the early signs are good | OneFootball

Lincoln City used corners to great effect last season, and they may need to do just that if they are to succeed this time around.

Lincoln City used corners to great effect last season, and they may need to do just that once again if they are to succeed this time around.

No team in the EFL scored more goals from set pieces than the Imps last season, whether that be free-kicks or corners. Michael Skubala's men netted 30 of their 64 goals from that avenue across the league campaign.

Lincoln City made good use of set pieces last season

Exeter City managed 25 goals from set pieces last season, according to data from Whoscored, while promotion-chasing Walsall notched the same in League Two. The leaders in the second tier were Derby County, who narrowly avoided the drop.

While showing how the high proportion of set-piece goals comes more commonly in League One and League Two, as opposed to the Championship, it also paints a picture of how far in front Lincoln were in the category.

Their success in set-piece situations was critical to their mid-table finish, as they struggled to consistently create enough from open play. They did manage five goals on the counter-attack, which was another source they used effectively, given that only six teams scored more through that route in the 2024/25 term.

Set pieces were key last season, and in that regard nothing has changed for the Imps. If Skubala's men can replicate their EFL-leading record from dead ball scenarios, then they have a chance to mount another solid campaign.

Defensive issues mean goals are even more important for Michael Skubala

The potential reliance, and need for goals to come from routes such as set pieces, is heightened by the defensive issues Lincoln now have. Ryan Towler and Sonny Bradley have joined the club, slotting in for Paudie O'Connor and Sean Roughan, who exited for Reading and Huddersfield Town respectively.

That being said, it is not a like-for-like switch, with Roughan's stalwart spot at left-back yet to be succinctly replaced. Instead, Skubala has hinted at a less direct and instead more "adaptable" approach to filling the shoes left by their ever-present Irishman.

The lack of a replacement for Roughan, while also missing O'Connor's captaincy, could indicate a swing to a less solidified Imps defence. If that does materialise, then the reliance on set pieces that was seen last term may be heightened further.

That is because, with a less consistent base to the team, Lincoln will need to score more to replicate their push towards the play-offs in 2023/24 or even their mid-table finish more recently.

The signs have been positive already in that regard, with left-sided defender Towler scoring from a corner in the pre-season friendly against Bromley. The former Portsmouth man drew the Imps level at 3-3 in the game that the League Two side went on to win.

The early signals are there that Lincoln could well enjoy the same success from set pieces in the upcoming season. It is something the club has worked on immensely since Skubala took charge, and the fruits of that labour may flow into the upcoming campaign as well.

Being able to make the most of those sorts of situations places any team in good stead, especially one like the Imps, who are always keen to punch above their weight in the hunt for a top-half finish. Without the same quality as those teams fighting at the very top of the table, Skubala's side have to make the most of instances like corners and free kicks to compete with the bigger budgets across League One.

Towler's pre-season strike should not be read into too much, but it does provide fresh evidence that Lincoln's success from corners, and other set pieces, could well be set to continue. That is nothing if not a great sign for City as they build towards the 2025/26 campaign.